Penguins Lead March at Rady Children's Hospital

Penguins visit kids at Rady Children's

By LINDSAY HOOD

Updated 2:46 PM PDT, Tue, Sep 21, 2010

Penguins marched through the halls of Rady Children's Hospital leading children on a mini-walk-a-thon to help raise money for the non-profit hospital on Tuesday morning.

The walk started at the Hematology/Oncology unit at Rady Children's and ended up in a play room, where the children, many in wheelchairs or hooked up to I.V. poles, were able to pet the penguins and visit with costumed characters from SeaWorld.

The special walk was held for the children, since they cannot be apart of the 4th Annual SeaWorld Shamu & You Family Walk held at the amusement park each year to raise money for Rady Children's.

The children's fragile medical conditions prevent them from participating in the walk.

"She has been so excited," said Michiko Schroeder, whose daughter Kimiko has a rare form of cancer.

"She goes to SeaWorld all the time and it has been very hard for us because we haven't been able to leave the hospital to go do activities," Schroeder said.

For the children, the event was something for them to look forward to.

"I love animals it makes me so happy to see one in real life, especially a penguin," said Rady Children's patient 11-year-old Tiffany Vargas. "You would never think of petting a penguin. It was really cool."

This year, the annual SeaWorld Shamu & You Family walk will be held on October 2, 2010.

Source: Penguins Lead March at Rady Children's Hospital | NBC San Diego